God's Story Of My Fight To Overcome Breast Cancer

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Post OP Appt, Lunch and a New Hair Cut!!!

My post op appointment was scheduled for yesterday, Wednesday. My friend Amy P took me to all my appointments yesterday. It was a full day. We were use to those full day appointments back during chemo, but it had been a while since I needed someone to drive me around all day! I am still not driving from my surgery.

Amy P picked me up about 9:00 am, and it was no different than from some of my chemo days. She came to the door and I was still trying to get all the lights turned off and the stuff I needed to take…there was just no chemo bag this time!!

We made it to my appointment by 10:00. We were actually 2 minutes early!! Today was my first post op visit with one of my favorite people, Dr. A. She said that everything was healing good!

I had some pain Tuesday but that is just a reminder that even though I am feeling so much better, I need to still take it easy. I guess a sign my chemo brain is not totally gone…I was having pain on my left side and I was thinking, I wonder why that hurts…later on, I was sitting on my couch and it was still bothering me and it hit me, I have incisions near the places that I am hurting…I had surgery…I over did it by sitting at my desk too long.

After my appointment we headed to our favorite lunch spot! We had lunch and then had a little time before my hair appointment. We went to Whole Foods, which we use to do after lots of chemo treatments. After that, we ran by my house to drop off the groceries since we both had picked up cold stuff and then headed to the hair dresser.

Y’all, I texted Amy P Tuesday night and told her that on May 2nd of last year, she picked me up, took me to chemo, we grabbed lunch and then headed to cut my hair, which was really having my head shaved and picking up my wig.

Yesterday, we were kind of doing some of the same things, a doctors appointment rather than chemo, lunch and then just getting my hair trimmed and shaped because I have not had that done since it had started growing back. It was a special day, because as I had been thinking about it, I could not help be think about the last time I cut my hair. That same day I had completed my second round of AC (aka Red Devil). I still had two rounds of AC to go and 12 rounds of Taxol to go. I still had surgeries to do. I did not know if the chemo was shrinking the tumor or not….there were so many questions, but I was learning that I had to take it one step and one day at a time. God was carrying me through each day and I knew that the peace that I had could only come from Him. You can read about the day I shaved my head here.

A few weeks ago, I had ask my sweet friend Korey where she got her hair cut. I have always loved her hair! I have known her probably close to 12.5 years and I think she has always had short hair. I never really thought I would ever have short hair…but now I do! She gave me her hair dressers number so I called and got an appointment and told her to cut it like Korey’s:). This is my friend Korey at my party celebrating chemo was over and it was time for surgery!

I know my hair does not look just like hers because even though hers is short, mine is still way shorter, especially the top. Mine is not as puffy on top as it was though and I like it and we have a plan. Amy P was telling me while I was getting it done that she liked it. I can’t believe I had enough hair to cut, I guess! I did ask Amanda, my new hair dresser, how long was it and the back and the top both measured 3 inches! My hair had grown 3 inches in about 6 months!! That is much faster than I thought it would grow!!

Here is a picture from this morning when I fixed my hair myself…ok, my hair did not darken up during the night…it is still the same gray as yesterday. It is the light in my kitchen and it is still wet in this picture. I can’t dry my hair very well with a hair dryer or fix it because of my left arm pain and lack of range of motion. So, I have to do the best I can do with just my right hand/arm right now. Please remember to pray for that appointment next week that we can figure out what needs to be done so I have use of my left arm again!! I will have to take another picture later today after it dries and compare to the one below. You can even tell how it looks darker in the collage above if you look at the one where she is cutting it (and it is wet) versus the one after she had finished.

Amy P and I were talking and I was telling her how I could not have done this whole past year without all the support of my friends. I have said it takes a village to go through cancer and I am so thankful for my village.

Friends that were praying.

Friends that would make sure E was taken care of when I did not have the strength to even get off the couch or when I could not drive after surgeries and even still when I can’t drive from surgery.

Friends that made sure I was not home alone while Keith was at work on the bad chemo weeks.

Friends that got me to and from appointments so that I did not feel like I was disrupting Keith’s work schedule all the time, I was thankful too that he only traveled once during the chemo months and we found out after that weekend trip, that it was harder on me than we realized it would be.

Friends that brought meal after meal during all my treatments and then during both surgeries.

Doctors that are so caring and listen and answer all my crazy questions.

All the cards and texts and messages to encourage me and brighten my day.

I am sure I am missing things from my list but we are just so thankful for the army God put around us!

Here is a picture of Amy P and I the day she took me to have my head shaved and then yesterday when we went for my first hair cut!

It’s been almost a year y’all! I am a cancer SURVIVOR! I am believing my body is healed! Next week we will figure out what is going on with my arm hopefully and get that taken care of I hope quickly and I hope with no surgery…I have had my share of surgery in the past 10 months!

If someone is reading this today and you are battling cancer or anything, remember, this too shall pass, and you can do this! A very wise person told me one day early on in my cancer journey when I was freaking out over something that it was ok to have those moments as long as they were far and few between and I stayed positive. Those words stuck with me from that moment on. I am not saying I never had another bad day or have not freaked out over many things because I did and still do but I always remember I can not get stuck there.

I always remember who is fighting this battle for me too. God has walked with me through each day and so many days has picked me up and carried me through the day. He can do the same for you.

Thanks you all for continuing to walk this journey with me,
Amanda

Psalm 118:29 (ESV) Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;for his steadfast love endures forever!